Horrible shop experience. Short-changed.
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consumer345exp
Posts: 5 Forumite
Short changed by £5. Horrible experience.
Hello, I went into a small stationary store, and there were two female members of staff at the two tills. I had purchased a few envelopes. The cost came to just over £3. Not all the items I purchased were price marked.
As it was my turn, and as there was an elderly person in front of me who was waiting for her friend at the second till, I was served at a diagonal angle to the till. I gave the woman who was serving me a £10 note. I picked up the plastic bag with the items inside and I put out my hand (still diagonal to the till, so it was difficult to see how much the amount cost). As she was gave me my change (the coins were placed in a stack on top of each other), she was saying a few words to me about the weather outside, as the rain had just stopped. I didn't bother to count my change and she did not give me a receipt.
I just closed my hand and went outside the door.
I must have walked out about three meters (I had just about passed the end of the shop),
when I looked again at the change in my hand and the amount didn't look right - the change was under £2. I quickly realised the cost of the items and the change she had given me added up to £5, so I immediately knew I had been short changed by £5. It must have been no more than five to eight seconds from when I walked out of the door, to when I went back inside. I immediately returned and told the member of staff who served me (who was alongside her colleague), that I was five pounds short. Immediately, both looked at me
as if I was lying. I said if I had been given a receipt, it would have been a lot easier to realise what had happened straight way.
(This may be irrelevant, but just to add, I have brown skin and was wearing a baseball cap at the time).
Both of them looked at me as though I was lying. I didn't have to, but because of how they were looking at me, I emptied my trouser and coat pockets in front of them and placed everything I had on the counter to show them my bank card, some tissues, my keys, another £10, and the small change she had given to me. (The only loose change I had was what had been given to me by the member of staff). The small change and the cost of the items added up to £5.
The tills in this shop are very old, but with a small digital display at the front. The woman who served me opened the top of the till and looked at the receipt roll, which had not been given to me (nor from what it looked like from the size of the roll, to the others customers).
She looked at the cost of the items on the receipt roll and she agreed I had given her £10, but she
was adament, at first, she had given me nearly £7 in change instead of just under £2, which is what I had - and was placed on the counter.
I actually felt like both members of staff were looking at me as if I was lying.
The were other customers in the store at the time, and the other member of staff (who didn't serve me ) spoke to me impolitely at first, saying the till would be checked at the end of the day and she would call me back after they had checked to see if the till balanced. She huffed at me and discourteously asked for my phone number in an unpleasant way. I knew from the way they were speaking to me and the way they looked at me, I wasn't going to get my money back at the end of the day, or the next.
My mind almost went blank from how they were making me feel, and I gave them my mobile phone number and my name. After I gave my information, they started being being more polite, not I feel, because both genuinely felt that way, but because I had now given them my personal information and there were customers there.
The member of staff (who didn't serve me) then wrote out a receipt for the cost of the goods purchased and gave it to me. No other figures were on there. I walked out from the store feeling pretty sick. In fact I became so nervous, I checked my pockets again, even though I hadn't put my change in there.
I went back home and knew I had been shortchanged by £5. I have two mobile phones, one I rarely use because as it is a 'Pay as you Go,' and the other, a rolling contract - my newer phone. As soon as I got home, I checked to see if my older mobile phone was working (hoping they might call me to say a genuine mistake was made). I tried calling it using my home phone and found out it was inactive because I hadn't used it for six months. (At the time I felt uncomfortable giving them my home number and I couldn't think properly to give them my newer mobile number, as I was put on the spot - and I also had no mobile phone on me at the time).
At home, I called up the mobile phone operator and asked them to reactive it, but they said they couldn't. So my day was getting worse. I then wrote down my name and my home number on a piece of paper and returned to the shop about half an hour later to see there was now a man serving at the till. I think he must have been the owner, and it was near the end of the day. The two female members of staff were no longer there. I gave him my home phone number and explained what happened, but from the look he gave me, and from what the other two members of staff must have said, he didn't believe me. Again, he said he would check to see if the till would balance at the end of the day and would call me. I do know the member of staff who served me must have been relatively new, as she asked the elder woman (who was very discourteous to me at first), how much the envelopes cost.
The day passed and I still haven't received a phone call. I don't like giving out my personal information, especially when they had done this to me.
It wasn't so much I had been short changed of £5, that I can live with. It's the fact that rather than asking for me to call them, the member of staff put me on the spot and quite impolitely asked me to give her my number - and as there were customers around, she knew by me not giving it, it could make me out to be a liar.
If I go into a store and a cashier gives me too much change, I always go back in there and return it. I have never been treated like this, and I knew that whatever I said, I was never going to get my money back, yet I had to give her my personal information, in what felt like duress.
I began to doubt myself because of how they were making me feel, but no matter how much I doubted, it didn't explain why I was five pound short. I guess I just wanted to type my experience because I feel sick from that happened... Has anybody had anything like this happen to them.
Just to add, I never raised my voice, and talked politely to all three.
Hello, I went into a small stationary store, and there were two female members of staff at the two tills. I had purchased a few envelopes. The cost came to just over £3. Not all the items I purchased were price marked.
As it was my turn, and as there was an elderly person in front of me who was waiting for her friend at the second till, I was served at a diagonal angle to the till. I gave the woman who was serving me a £10 note. I picked up the plastic bag with the items inside and I put out my hand (still diagonal to the till, so it was difficult to see how much the amount cost). As she was gave me my change (the coins were placed in a stack on top of each other), she was saying a few words to me about the weather outside, as the rain had just stopped. I didn't bother to count my change and she did not give me a receipt.
I just closed my hand and went outside the door.
I must have walked out about three meters (I had just about passed the end of the shop),
when I looked again at the change in my hand and the amount didn't look right - the change was under £2. I quickly realised the cost of the items and the change she had given me added up to £5, so I immediately knew I had been short changed by £5. It must have been no more than five to eight seconds from when I walked out of the door, to when I went back inside. I immediately returned and told the member of staff who served me (who was alongside her colleague), that I was five pounds short. Immediately, both looked at me
as if I was lying. I said if I had been given a receipt, it would have been a lot easier to realise what had happened straight way.
(This may be irrelevant, but just to add, I have brown skin and was wearing a baseball cap at the time).
Both of them looked at me as though I was lying. I didn't have to, but because of how they were looking at me, I emptied my trouser and coat pockets in front of them and placed everything I had on the counter to show them my bank card, some tissues, my keys, another £10, and the small change she had given to me. (The only loose change I had was what had been given to me by the member of staff). The small change and the cost of the items added up to £5.
The tills in this shop are very old, but with a small digital display at the front. The woman who served me opened the top of the till and looked at the receipt roll, which had not been given to me (nor from what it looked like from the size of the roll, to the others customers).
She looked at the cost of the items on the receipt roll and she agreed I had given her £10, but she
was adament, at first, she had given me nearly £7 in change instead of just under £2, which is what I had - and was placed on the counter.
I actually felt like both members of staff were looking at me as if I was lying.
The were other customers in the store at the time, and the other member of staff (who didn't serve me ) spoke to me impolitely at first, saying the till would be checked at the end of the day and she would call me back after they had checked to see if the till balanced. She huffed at me and discourteously asked for my phone number in an unpleasant way. I knew from the way they were speaking to me and the way they looked at me, I wasn't going to get my money back at the end of the day, or the next.
My mind almost went blank from how they were making me feel, and I gave them my mobile phone number and my name. After I gave my information, they started being being more polite, not I feel, because both genuinely felt that way, but because I had now given them my personal information and there were customers there.
The member of staff (who didn't serve me) then wrote out a receipt for the cost of the goods purchased and gave it to me. No other figures were on there. I walked out from the store feeling pretty sick. In fact I became so nervous, I checked my pockets again, even though I hadn't put my change in there.
I went back home and knew I had been shortchanged by £5. I have two mobile phones, one I rarely use because as it is a 'Pay as you Go,' and the other, a rolling contract - my newer phone. As soon as I got home, I checked to see if my older mobile phone was working (hoping they might call me to say a genuine mistake was made). I tried calling it using my home phone and found out it was inactive because I hadn't used it for six months. (At the time I felt uncomfortable giving them my home number and I couldn't think properly to give them my newer mobile number, as I was put on the spot - and I also had no mobile phone on me at the time).
At home, I called up the mobile phone operator and asked them to reactive it, but they said they couldn't. So my day was getting worse. I then wrote down my name and my home number on a piece of paper and returned to the shop about half an hour later to see there was now a man serving at the till. I think he must have been the owner, and it was near the end of the day. The two female members of staff were no longer there. I gave him my home phone number and explained what happened, but from the look he gave me, and from what the other two members of staff must have said, he didn't believe me. Again, he said he would check to see if the till would balance at the end of the day and would call me. I do know the member of staff who served me must have been relatively new, as she asked the elder woman (who was very discourteous to me at first), how much the envelopes cost.
The day passed and I still haven't received a phone call. I don't like giving out my personal information, especially when they had done this to me.
It wasn't so much I had been short changed of £5, that I can live with. It's the fact that rather than asking for me to call them, the member of staff put me on the spot and quite impolitely asked me to give her my number - and as there were customers around, she knew by me not giving it, it could make me out to be a liar.
If I go into a store and a cashier gives me too much change, I always go back in there and return it. I have never been treated like this, and I knew that whatever I said, I was never going to get my money back, yet I had to give her my personal information, in what felt like duress.
I began to doubt myself because of how they were making me feel, but no matter how much I doubted, it didn't explain why I was five pound short. I guess I just wanted to type my experience because I feel sick from that happened... Has anybody had anything like this happen to them.
Just to add, I never raised my voice, and talked politely to all three.
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Comments
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The suspense is killing me!0
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To much of a long winded ramble to be able to understand .0
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TLDR - OP didn't check their change in a shop and 2 mins later found it to be £5 short. Shop agreed to check the till at the end of the day and call.
It's your own fault for not checking your change before you left the shop. Most shops have a sign somewhere that says that you must check your change and mistakes will not be rectified after you have left the store. Otherwise every Tom, !!!! and Harry would return 2 mins later and claim they were owed £5.
She asked for your phone number so that someone could call you once they had balanced the tills at the end of the day. How is this 'duress'? How else were they going to contact you?
I think you are blowing this out of all proportion. You were short changed by a fiver which is partly your fault for not checking your change while you were still in the shop. Chalk it up to experience and move on.
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It felt like duress from their tone and how they were talking to me. I understand i should have checked the change before I left the store. But what am I supposed to say if I have been short changed. Am I supposed to say nothing. What if this was not a one off and the member of staff had been doing it to others. Isn't it better to say something, than nothing?0
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'Beanie.'
It was not 2 mins later! The tills are right next to the front of the window, and I returned in much less than 10 seconds!!
JJ Egan, you say:
"To much of a long winded ramble to be able to understand ."
I am just telling you exactly how it happened. If the truth is a 'long winded ramble,' so be it.0 -
consumer345exp wrote: »I am just telling you exactly how it happened. If the truth is a 'long winded ramble,' so be it.
It IS a long winded ramble. All the stuff about the mobile phone/s and the contents of your pockets is completely irrelevant.
And I wasn't suggesting that you shouldn't say anything, of course you should. Then leave your number so that they can contact you when they have checked the till at the end of the day.
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Reply.......
Beanie.....
Maybe one day when people don't believe you when it really counts, then maybe one day you will understand how I feel.
Beanie, you also say:
'the contents of your pockets is completely irrelevant.'
Well it showed I had no other money in my pockets except a £10 note and the change from the purchase - change which was incorrect... Not unless you were thinking like them and think I was hiding the money somewhere else, which I know to be totally false. It's unfortunate how sometimes a victim is made to feel like they are responsible and made to feel like a bad person, even though something bad happened to them.0 -
You knew your angle to the till, the conversation of the other shoppers, the person in front was waiting for a friend, you hand was diagonal to the till...your "skin is brown and you were wearing a baseball cap" (is it relevant? I don't think so but you clearly do), the coins were stacked, the rain had stopped...
You noted all of that. But you didn't note the change you were given?0 -
Being short changed isn't particularly nice, but I do think you need to get a bit of proportion. You've joined the site and made the efforts to post a very long and not entirely relevant post for the sake of a fiver?
TBH, I'm now half expecting the accusations of bullying to start imminently. People aren't being cruel, just slightly baffled at the scale of your reaction to the situation.All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.
Pedant alert - it's could have, not could of.0 -
theonlywayisup, you say
"it's about the level of detail you've supplied and the lack of when it mattered.." ???
I said I didn't count the money at the till. What more detail can I give than that?
You are posting questions of doubt, but nothing about the person who took the money from me. I can see what you think of me.0
This discussion has been closed.
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